eHealth and mHealth Development in Spain: Promise or Reality?

Abstract

In the last decades, the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) has progressively spread to society and public administration. Health is one of the areas in which the use of ICTs has more intensively developed through what is now known as eHealth. That area has recently included mHealth. Spanish health system has stood out as one of the benchmarks of this technological revolution. The development of ICTs applied to health, especially since the outbreak of the pandemic caused by SARS Cov-2, has increased the range of health services delivered through smartphones and the development of subsequent specialized apps. Based on the data of a Survey on Use and Attitudes regarding eHealth in Spain, the aim of this research was to conduct a comparative analysis of the different eHealth and mHealth user profiles. The results show that the user profile of eHealth an mHealth services in Spain is not in a majority. Weaknesses are detected both in the knowledge and use of eHealth services among the general population and in the usability or development of their mobile version. Smartphones can be a democratizing vector, as for now, access to eHealth services is only available to wealthy people, widening inequality.

An Application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP)in Measuring the Service Quality of Telemedicine in the Philippines

“…Recent studies relating to telemedicine in the Philippines have chosen respondents aged from 18 to 64 years old due to the age group's literacy, experience, reasonability, and capability to answer questionnaires responsibly. A study from Spain also revealed that people around the ages 25 to 65 years old Proceedings of the International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management Manila, Philippines, March 7-9, 2023 © IEOM Society International were eHealth and mHealth users, which is within the age group used in studies in the Philippines (Elarco et al 2021;Mahou et al 2021 andOng et al 2022). Thus, patients aged between 18 -64 years old residing in the National Capital Region (NCR) that experienced using telemedicine services during the COVID-19 pandemic were considered as the subjects for this study.…”

Exploring Digital Health Horizons: A Narrative Review of E-Health Innovations in Poland, Spain, Romania and Estonia.

“…In the statutory Spanish National Health System (SNS), coverage is virtually universal, mainly funded from taxes, and care is predominantly provided within the public sector [26]. The healthcare landscape in Spain is undergoing a remarkable transformation, driven by a surge in technological advancements reshaping patient care and system efficiency [27]. Telemedicine has emerged as a frontrunner, enabling remote consultations and reducing unnecessary in-person visits, a trend that gained significant traction during the COVID-19 pandemic [28,29].…”

“…In 2021, Spain implemented a system for intelligent monitoring of patients with chronic diseases, utilizing data from monitoring devices provided by healthcare facilities. This system empowers doctors to remotely analyze patient data, providing timely advice, referrals, and interventions to maintain patients' health and well-being [27,30]. E-health initiatives are crucial in streamlining healthcare delivery and enhancing patient engagement in Spain.…”

Subjective well-being, happiness, and environmental health factors related to women planning a pregnancy or pregnant, using mobile health intervention

“…11 The Spanish health system is reported as one of the benchmarks of the digital revolution, including the use of mobile health, especially during the COVID-19 outbreak. 12 …”